Turkish Health Ministry declares 'war on salt'

Saltshakerson restaurant tables may becomescarcein Turkey as part of aninitiativetoreduceexcessivesodiumintakein the country, where people consume three times as much salt as the worldwide average.

Under the Ministry of Health's new initiative, cafeteria menus at public-service institutions, schools, universities and military facilities will all bescrutinizedfor the amount of salt used in their food.

The amount of salt in traditional Turkishcuisinewill be determined, and sodium levels reduced in bread and other processed grain products, includingcereal, as well as in cheese and meat products. Salt will no longer be added during the production of French fries, salad or ayran (a salty yogurt drink).

Restaurants, cafés and other private establishments will be encouraged to serve low-sodiumfareby means of tax reductions. Restaurants that reduce the amount of salt in their menu items and remove the saltshakers from their tables in favor of small packages of salt will also be awarded a logo, flag or certificate.

Provincialtraining courses will be offered in parts of the country where salt consumption is traditionally high and the Religious Affairs Directorate will be asked to cooperate in the effort to inform the public about the dangers of excessive sodium consumption, which the ministry said canleadto high blood pressure, calcium deficits and even stomach cancer.

Warnings about not consuming too much salt will be placed in grocery stores and supermarkets. Worldwide, people consumeapproximately6 grams of sodiumper day. In Turkey, the average daily consumption is 18 grams.